Car-roof construction



Feb. 10, 1931. A. E. SMALL CAR ROOF CONSTRUCTION- Filed June 25, 1927 Patented Feb. 10,

UNITED STATES ARTHUR E. SMALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO I. H. IUBPHY COMPANY,

PATENT oar-Ice OF NEW xnnsnveron, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA CA'B-BOOF cons'rnuo'rron v Application filed June 25,

This invention relates to roofs for railway freight cars, and "more particularly to arrangin the roof structure to accommodate load li ing devices, both by providing means for attaching such load lifting devices thereto and by designing such roof structures to sustain normal loads upon such load liftmg devices without damage to the roof, and has for its further object to provide a roof in m which the roof sheets are not deflected or distorted when certain of the carlines are deflected (permanently or otherwise) under excessive stresses caused by a load on a load 11fting device; in other words, to provide a roof 15 wherein the carlines ma deflect vertically in dependently of the rec sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide exterior carlines (integral with the roof sheets or otherwise) which normally coop- 2o crate with interior carlines to support the weight of the roof sheets, the snow and slush thereon, and therunnin boards and also to resist the weaving and uckling stresses always present in a railway car. Such carlines,

however, are not secured or attached to each other and are supported by the side plates independently of each other so that the interior carlines may deflect independently of the exterior carlines.

Another object is to position an interior carline within an exterior carline so as to obtain a smooth interior roof surface.

It has become customary to arrange the roof or roof framing of a car to accommodate only used to support a load within the car, but are also used to load or unload a car.- Such devices are used, for instance, to double deck automobiles and to move heavy machinery about within the ear. It has been proposed to provide additional carlines within the car and to. reinforce certain carlines within the car and also. it has been proposed to provide lon-' gitudinal beams within the car which are secured to and supported by the carlines. My device is an improvement on such arran ements in that an excessive load causing a d flection of the carlines does not distort the roof sheets and cause a leaky roof.

Some freight car roof: comprise metallic load lifting devices, which devices are not 1927. Serial No. 201,439.

roof sheets rigidly secured together making what is known as a rigid steel roof, while other roofs comprise roofing sheets which are capable of moving relative to each other and'relative to the superstructure of the car as well as relative to the carlines, which roofs are known'as flexible all steel roofs. My improvement is adaptable to either rigid or flexible ty es of car roofs.

In the rawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective of a roof of a car including my invention.

Fig. 2 shows in section the relation of a side plate and interior and exterior carlines.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the roof shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a modified construction.

Fig.5 is a longitudinal section along the center line of a flexible roof. c

Fig. 6 is a section through the embossment and roof sheet adjacent the sideplate.

The construction shown in Figs.1, 2 and 3 com rises roof sheets 2. spanning the distance etween the op ositely disposed side plates 3 of the car which have upstanding flanges 4 at their adjacent mar inal portions which are formed and secure together to constitute integral exterior carlines 5, which carlines span the distance between the oppositel disposedside plates of the car and referab y rest thereon. These exterior car ines embrace or surround interior carlines 6 which also span the distance between the oppositely disposed side plates of the car and be provided with apertures to accommodate ropes or chains.

The interior carlines 6 are not secured or attached to the roof sheets 2 or to the exterior carlines 5 so that if a load lifting device is attached to the interior carlines and an excessive load applied thereto, the interior carlines may deflect without distorting or deflecting the roof sheets or the exterior carlines whereby the roof proper is maintained in a waterproof and weatherproof condition and it is also still capable of withstanding the weaving and torsional stresses always present in a freight car in running service."

The exterior carlines are made of sufficient strength to sustain the ordinary loads on a car roof such as snow, slush and the weight of the running board as well as the weight of the man thereon. These interior carlines normally assist in supporting the roof sheet and any vertical load on the exterior of the roof would be supported b both the interior and exterior carlines. T e 1nterior and exterior carlines act independently to resist the torsional and weaving stresses caused by the rocking and swaying of the car.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the device as a plied to a rigid type of car roof wherein t e roof sheets 31 are rigidly secured to each other at their adjacent margins and also rigidly secured to the carline or carline cap 11. The interior carline 12 may be placed midway between the ri id exterior carlines and may be surrounde by an embossment 13 similar to the exterior carline illustrated in Fi s. 1, 2 and- 3.

In Fig. 5 I have shown my improvement applied to a flexible type of steel roof wherein the adjacent sides of the roof sheets 20 are spaced apart from each other and also spaced apart from the carline 21 and a transverse cap 22 is used to waterproof the joint between the ad'acent roof sheets. If a load liftin device s ould be attached to this carline 21) any deflection thereof would also cause a deflection of the transverse ca (22) and also possibly bend or crimp the e ges ofthe upstanding flanges (23) of the roof sheets, thus ermittin rain and snow to be driven into t e car. he interior carline 24 comprises an inverted U section with a bracket 25 riveted therein for attachment of In car construction it is preferable to have the interior surface 30 of the roof as smooth as possible so as not to interfere with the lading, therefore, I position the bottom of the interior carlines not lower than the plane of the roof sheets or substantially flush therewith.

The embossments 13 or 27 may be formed to loosely fit the interior carline to restrict the bodily movement of the roof sheet longitudinally of the car. In flexible roofs these embossments 13 or 27 may vary in width so as to loosely fit or enga the interior cm:- lines adjacent the midd e of the car only, which would not only restrict the bodily movement of the roof sheet lon itudinally of the car, but would permit or .a low the roof sheets to pivot or'swing around such place of engagement, in a substantially horizontal plane; i. e., in the lanes of the apexed roof which are substantiall horizontal.

The accompanyin rawings illustrate the preferred form of t e invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some of said carlines being ri idly secured to said sheets and other of saif carlines being free to deflect downwardly independently of the roof sheets, said last mentioned carlines being formed to accommodate a load lifting. device.

2. In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some of said carlines being rigidly secured to said sheets and other of said carlines being free to deflect downwardly independently of the roof sheets and the first mentioned carlines, said last mentioned carlines being formed to accommodate a load lifting device.

3. In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some of said carlines being arranged to restrict the-upward movement of said sheets and other of said carlines being free to deflect downwardly independently of the roof sheets, said last mentioned carlines being formed to accommodate a load lifting device.

4..In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some of said carlines being positioned above said roof sheets and ri idly secured thereto and other of said carllnes being positioned below said roof sheets and free to deflect downwardly independently of the roof sheets, said last mentioned carlines being formed to accommodate a load lifting device.

5. In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some of said carlines being ri idly secured to said sheets and other of sai carlines being free to deflect downwardly independently of the roof sheets, said other carlines provided with oppositely disposed flanges spaced apart from the roof sheets so as to provide means for attachment of a load lifting device.

6. In a railway car roof; a plurality of roof sheets and a plurality of carlines, some means of said carlines being ri 'dly secured to said sheets and other of sai carlines being free to deflect downwardly independentl of the roof sheets, said other carlines provi ed with oppositely disposed flanges not lower than the plane of the roof sheets and spaced apart therefrom so as to provide means for attachment of a load liftin device.

AR HUR E. SMALL. 

